On February 6th, 2013, with Coach Racki sitting by his side, Nicholas Murphy committed and signed with the University of Chicago to attend and play football for the next four years of his life. With two older brothers who graduated from Nazareth Academy and also attended the prestigious South Side university to pursue their educations, it seemed natural that Nick would uphold the family tradition and follow the footsteps of his brothers.
Although he is a legacy, Nick applied to other colleges and universities, knowing that there is always a chance of rejection from schools as rigorous and selective as the University of Chicago. Nick wasn’t always as sure of his choice as he is now; having applied to Stanford, his other top choice, he worried of making such a difficult decision between the two Ivy League schools. “It would be a tough choice between Stanford and the U of C,” says Nick but fortunately for him, the decision was made easier when he did not get into Stanford. With the University of Chicago now locked in as his top choice, Nick patiently waited for news from the school. One day he received the letter that all seniors hope and pray their dream school will send them: an acceptance letter. Nick said he “felt really happy” upon receiving the news, which is no shock at all given the fact that Nick is a four year football player and track runner, member of NEHS and NHS, and in the top ten of the senior class.
Nick isn’t worried about coming down with a bad case of senioritis in his last quarter at Naz. He claims to be “motivated all the time” and plans to remain as focused in the University of Chicago’s demanding and tense academic atmosphere during his next four years. Having signed with the university to play four years of football, Nick isn’t worried about managing football practices and games while majoring in Economics, saying that “they make it easy for you there. At U of C, school starts so late (October 1st), so about the time classes start, half of the season is over. It’s not as bad as some other schools.”
Looking forward, Nick is excited to play football, have a good time, and make memories while he’s at college. He doesn’t worry about the University of Chicago’s reputation as the place where “fun goes to die,” knowing that like himself, the U of C is all business when it comes to learning, but they both can unwind and have a little fun.